What Would Confucius Say About Business Targets?

Now we all are back to work. Many would think: right, to improve staff performance, let’s give them more targets. Think carefully: tougher targets (without sufficient resources and support) will easily lead to poor performance; poor performance compromises quality, and unacceptable quality results in fewer sales.

Confucius said, ‘Small men think about Li (profit); gentlemen think about Yi (righteousness).’ It is not numbers but the meaning of numbers that matters. To be competitive, businesses need to improve employees’ performance. There are several key points bosses and managers need to consider in order to motivate or better still, excite the staff:

1. Communicate how new targets will make more customers happier – for example: pushing great products and services to a new client base; improving the quality of existing products and services; or developing new products and services based on past success.

2. Communicate how new targets will help other businesses become more efficient – for example: letting them know how your solutions are better than others with intensive marketing activities; improving internal systems to save costs with competitive pricing; or walking the talks by implementing your offer internally.

3. Communicate how new targets will give employees a sense of fulfillment – for example: stretching their skills and knowledge to new tasks and responsibilities; encouraging ideas and suggestions for innovation and efficiency; or empowering customer-facing staff with power and resources to satisfy and impress customers

Profit is important to business. However, success of a business depends very much on what it ‘offers’ rather than what it takes. It is the benefits business brings to others: customers, employees and society that counts.

Wishing you and your business a successful year.

Top executive leadership speaker and inspiring author Joanna Tong at Bright-i has combined Eastern philosophy with business practices for today’s leaders. “Dragon Leadership”, the original and effective leadership framework is designed to take business and leadership skills to a a high impact level.

Also known as “the Voice of Dragon Leadership”, the award winning business executive has helped leaders and multi-national companies in the US, UK and Europe improve their leadership styles for tangible business results.